Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Spinach, Cranberries, and Pecans

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with spicy Italian sausage, spinach, pecans, and dried cranberries is the perfect fall and winter dish. The stuffing combines savory, spicy, and sweet flavors and pairs beautifully with the squash. This gluten-free and dairy-free recipe is great for both holiday meals (like Thanksgiving and Christmas) and easy weeknight dinners. It's a lighter, healthier alternative to regular pasta.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword sausage stuffed spaghetti squash, stuffed spaghetti squash

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 865kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

2 whole spaghetti squash medium or large
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Sausage filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion diced
14 oz Italian sausage spicy, crumbled
5 oz spinach fresh
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecans chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

How to roast spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and fibers from each half. Repeat with the second squash. (Tip: Before cutting, you can soften the squash by microwaving it. To do this, make a few large slits along the line where you’ll slice it, then microwave the whole squash for 5 to 10 minutes. This makes it easier to cut it in half.)
Drizzle olive oil over the cut sides and inside of the squash, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the 4 squash halves cut side down on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes on the middle rack until soft and cooked through. You can check doneness by piercing the squash with a fork—it should feel tender.
While the squash is baking, continue with the rest of the recipe.

Make the sausage filling

Make the sausage filling while the squash is being roasted in the oven.
In a large, high-sided skillet, heat olive oil, add diced onion, and cook it on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until cooked and a bit charred.
Add crumbled sausage and cook for about 5 minutes or more on medium heat until the sausage is completely cooked through.
Add fresh spinach and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat until the spinach wilts.
Add dried cranberries and chopped pecans and mix everything.
Season with salt and pepper. Probably not necessary since the sausage is already usually salty (unless you use sweet sausage).

Assembly

By now, the spaghetti squash has roasted for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and turn the halves cut side up. Let them cool slightly.
Warm up the sausage mixture in the same skillet you cooked it in.
Evenly distribute the filling among the 4 squash halves, stuffing them until the mixture is level or slightly mounded. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of fresh thyme.

Nutrition